This invention pertains to a disposable article and, more particularly, to a disposable absorbent article that is adjustable in length and attachment to accommodate the relatively fast growth of a newborn baby.
Currently, disposable absorbent articles find widespread use in infant and child care and have generally replaced reusable cloth absorbent articles. A typical disposable absorbent article generally comprises a composite structure including a topsheet, a backsheet, and an absorbent between the topsheet and backsheet. These articles usually include some type of fastening system for fitting the article onto the wearer.
Although current disposable baby diapers have been generally accepted by the public, these diapers still have need of improvement in specific areas. For example, mothers of newborns between the age of zero and generally about four months are aware of the irritation that current disposable diapers cause with the umbilical cord during the first month of the newborn's existence. Naturally, any irritation of the umbilical cord is a discomfort to the newborn and of anxious concern to the mother. Another serious concern to mothers is the tenderness of the newborn's skin and, thus, its sensitivity to even slight pressures or rubbing actions that can cause irritation and red marking. With current diapers, this irritation or pressure is caused by leg elastics that press the diaper tightly against the newborn's skin to prevent urine leakage. It also can occur at the waist area where the back ears of the diaper are adhesively attached tightly to the front section of the diaper. Thus, it can be appreciated that current diapers do not provide an optimum absorbent article for newborn babies.
In addition to concerns for the newborn's healing umbilical cord area and tender, sensitive skin is the relatively rapid growth of the newborn between the time when he or she is born to approximately the age of four months. During this time, the newborn will grow in length and weight from about six pounds to about fifteen pounds, thus posing a problem to the mother, since the diaper the mother was first using was sized for the baby at birth, while the next size diaper may not be appropriate to a newborn during this rapid growth stage. Thus, it would be desirable to have a diaper exclusively designed for a newborn, between the age of zero and about four months, that provides adjustability in size to accommodate this rapid growth.